Chicago and Dallas are officially in the postseason (joining D.C. United, so
far) and Los Angeles is on the brink of elimination at the hands of its local
rival, which moved all the way up to second place in the Western Conference by
doing what the Gals haven't been able to do since Sept. 2: win a "must-win" game.

Francisco Mendoza, 21, who had been the target of two Mexican clubs last season, juked through the Colorado backline and scored his third goal of 2006 as Chivas USA downed Colorado, 1-0, to leap over the Rapids and Dynamo into second place with 42 points.

Los Angeles fell, 2-1, in Chicago to the Fire; the loss, coupled with a 2-1 loss to Houston and 0-0 tie with Colorado in its last two games -- both at home -- gives Los Angeles one point in its last three crucial matches. Landon Donovan raced through the middle to score the goal that matched Chris Rolfe's
sixth of the season just 38 seconds into the match, but Tyrone Marshall
fouled Andy Herron with six minutes left and Herron himself put away the
PK for the winning goal.

L.A. is six points behind fourth-place Colorado with three games to play. Even
if it beats Chivas USA Saturday it needs lots of points from its final two
games, home and away against Dallas, to prevent missing the playoffs for the
first time in club history.

The New York Red Bulls kept rallying against D.C. but could only catch up once, at 1-1, and fell at RFK, 4-3. New England's 1-1 tie with Kansas City (goals by
Clint Dempsey and Scott Sealy) left the Wizards in fourth place
and only two points up on Red Bull.

Dwayne DeRosario and Jason Garey traded second-half goals as
Houston tied the Crew, 1-1, in Columbus. The last-place Crew must sweep its
final three games to have any chance of catching Kansas City, which it trails by
seven; the third-place Dynamo still needs two more points to clinch.